Mental Health
by Varilynn
Summary: The SGC has some concerns about the mental health of SG-1. Teal'c is asked his oppinion.
1. Default Chapter

Mental Health 

**Author:** Varilynn

**Genre:** General

**Rating:** G

**Status:** Incomplete

**Disclaimer:** I have no legal claim to the characters and ideas of Stargate SG-1, and am making no money by writing stories about it.

**Author's Note:**  I have limited computer access at the moment so I wanted to upload what I can now.  Normally I would hate splitting this up since it doesn't work as well.  When it's done I'll re-post it in one piece.  There's 16 more little segments that I have to add, as well as some more editing.  Editing suggestions would be welcome.

_General Hammond sat in his office and contemplated the door.  He was expecting a visitor shortly, and wasn't looking forward to the conversation.  _

_He shifted his gaze to the stack of personnel reports piled high on his desk.  Every six months he, along with Doctor Fraiser, went through the files of everyone assigned to the SGC.  They reviewed all medical records, various reports concerning physical and mental health, and made sure all his people were in top condition.  _

The four ridiculously thick folders in front of him belonged to the base's flag team, SG-1.  Taping his fingers on the desk Hammond idly flipped through the one on top.  He shook his head in wonderment.  By all rights, these four people should have been dead several times over.  In fact, had been dead on several occasions.  Considering what they had gone through in the last five years that wasn't at all surprising.  But surely that had to affect a person.  Which was why Hammond was sitting there waiting with such displeasure.

_Teal'c strode rapidly down the halls of the SCG.  The Jaffa exuded a presence which automatically made people want to get out of his way.  At times he would have found it amusing.  At the moment the personnel scurrying away from him barely registered.  _

_An airman had roused Teal'c from his meditation with a summons from General Hammond.  He had been asked to meet the general in his office, alone.  From this Teal'c deduced the meeting was about the other members of SG-1, and that worried him.  Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, and Doctor Jackson had become his family on Earth, the only one he saw with any regularity.  That something might be amiss disturbed him greatly.  _

_He reached the briefing room and walked through it to knock sharply on the general's door.  The command to enter was immediate and Teal'c stepped through.  General Hammond sat at his desk, surrounded by file folders.  Teal'c recognized the ones belonging to his team mates lying open.  He had been right, this did concern SG-1.  _

_The general gestured to one of the thinly padded chairs.  "Please, Teal'c, sit down."  Teal'c complied, resting his elbows on the chair arms and folding his hands together.  _

_"Is there a problem, GeneralHammond?"  Hammond swivelled his chair slightly and clasped his own hands together on top of the files.  _

_"No, no, of course not.  At least I hope not.  I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you a few questions Teal'c, about the rest of SG-1."  Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow.  General Hammond leaned back in his chair and shuffled through some of the papers in the files.  _

_"Ah, yes.  Over the last couple of months I've been receiving reports from personnel around the base.  People have some concerns.  They're worried that SG-1 is becoming, ah, slightly unstable.  And frankly, I have to admit that the thought has crossed my mind on more than one occasion.  SG-1 is the most erratic team I have, but you're the best.  I need you, this world needs you.  I can't have them crash and burn on me.  Now, you've spent the most time with SG-1 in the last five years.  Have you noticed any irregularities?  And abnormal behaviour?"  _

_Teal'c tilted his head to study the general.  "You wish to know if my team mates have become mentally unstable?"  Hammond winced at the bluntness.  _

_"I suppose what I want to know is, should I be concerned?"  Teal'c sat back to think.  With the help of his symbiote, he was able to access his memories of the last five years with a clarity that would surprise most humans.  Focusing his gaze on the wall behind General Hammond's head, Teal'c let the images run through his mind._

In a rare period of downtime, the members of SG-1 were sprawled around the living room of one Jack O'Neill.  Jack had insisted they all get away from the base, and had enlisted the help of Teal'c to forcibly remove Daniel and Sam from their labs.  They had retaliated by not speaking to Jack for the entire drive from the base.  They were now slouched in various pieces of furniture, glaring at the floor.  

Jack looked at them for several seconds, before heading to the kitchen for the beer.  He returned with four bottles and passed them out.  Daniel and Sam didn't even look at him.  

"Aw, come on you guys.  Lighten up a little."  Daniel raised his head to glare at Jack.  

"I was busy, Jack.  Do you have any idea how backed up the lab is?  We weren't supposed to be gone for so long that last mission.  I have work I should be doing."  Jack shook his head and looked at Sam, who by her expression agreed with Daniel.  

"We're on downtown Daniel.  You do remember what that means don't you?"

"Oh, please, enlighten me.  It seems to have slipped my mind…"

Sam gave a short bark of laughter and smothered it with her hand.  Jack looked triumphant.  "Ha!  I knew you couldn't stay mad at me Carter."  Sam shook her head and muttered something suspiciously like 'idiot' under her breath.  

"Fine, Sir.  But the next time you drag me out of my lab don't think I'll let you off so easy."  Jack eyed her and set his beer on the table.  

"You've been working too hard, you needed a break."  At this Sam looked away.  "Maybe I need to work."  Jack and Teal'c exchanged looks as Daniel also looked away at this quiet admission. 

 "Carter, you did the best you could.  So did you, Daniel.  You can't save everyone, and not everyone wants to be saved.  That doesn't mean I'm going to let you try to single-handedly save _this_ world by yourself.  You're gonna burn out."  

Sam muttered a 'yes Sir' and glanced at Daniel.  He winced, but nodded.  "Good.  Glad that's settled.  Now…"  And with that Jack picked up a pillow and launched it at Sam.  "Loosen up Major!  That's an order."  

Sam stared at him incredulously as the pillow bounced off her head.  Teal'c raised his eyebrows when Sam tossed the pillow back at her colonel.  "DanielJackson, what is the meaning of this?"  Daniel found himself grinning at the big Jaffa. 

 "This, Teal'c, looks like the beginning of a pillow fight."

"A 'pillow fight'?"

Jack had picked up another pillow and aimed it at Daniel, but paused with it raised in the air.  "Daniel, you mean to tell me we've never shown Teal'c what a pillow fight is?"

"Guess not Jack."

"Well then what are you waiting for?  This is a very important part of Earth culture."  And with that he launched the pillow at Teal'c.  

By the time they were too exhausted to move, more than half of Jack's pillows had been destroyed.  Feathers and stuffing covered the living room in a layer of white and was still floating down from the ceiling.  The three sweaty humans had feathers stuck to them like glue, and even Teal'c had one resting behind his ear.  Teal'c surveyed the damage.  "O'Neill, we have destroyed your living room."  

Jack shrugged and reached for a half-stuffed pillow.  "Who cares?  It was fun," he gestured to the still falling debris before jamming the pillow under his head.  From Daniel came a snort, and something that sounded suspiciously like a giggle from Sam.  The three were lying on the floor, seeming  totally unaware of the disaster area around them.  Teal'c watched as one by one they closed their eyes and fell asleep.

L             L             L

Teal'c had time to notice Daniel sitting on a stool in Sam's lab before throwing himself to the side to avoid being impaled with a dart.  "MajorCarter," he said as another dart sailed past him.  

"Sorry Teal'c, I didn't see you there."

"Indeed.  I should have alerted you to my presence."  Teal'c turned to look at the dart board hung on the wall beside the door.  Covering the board was a large picture of Nirrti he assumed Sam had gotten from the security files.  It was perforated by several dozen holes.  It looked like Sam had been at it for a while.  Daniel, chin on fist, was observing from a safe distance. 

 "You know, this is kind of morbid Sam."

"I don't care."  She picked up another handful of darts.  "She murdered Cassandra's people," - _thunk_, in Nirrti's left eye - "put a bomb in her chest," - _thunk_, this time the right - "and almost killed her with her damn experiments!" _Thunk_, dead centre.  

"Nice shot," Daniel commented as Sam got up to retrieve the darts. 

 "Thanks."  She held them out to Daniel.  "Want to take a turn?"  

Daniel shrugged as he slid off the stool.  "Sure, why not," and lined up his first dart.

L             L             L


	2. new segments

Mental Health 

The next two segments.  Should have a couple more in a few days.

Jack sat on the ground rubbing his temples.  Teal'c observed him from the opposite side of the fire.  He'd watched as the colonel's face showed more and more strain throughout the day, until he'd finally called a halt much earlier than usual.  

Daniel and Sam had each asked once if he was all right, and had been answered with a short "fine".  They were now sitting side-by-side on a log, munching on their ration packs.  Every few minutes they would look at the colonel, exchange glances, and go back to their dinners.

"Jack, would you just take some Tylenol?" Daniel finally spoke up.

"It's just a headache Daniel."

"I know headaches.  That is not a headache."

"Fine, so it's a migraine.  I'm fine.  It's been hanging around all week."

Daniel sighed and shrugged his shoulders.  Sam shook her head but stopped when Jack glared at her.

Teal'c frowned at his friends.  "Why did you not go to Doctor Fraiser?  There is no need to endured pain when it is avoidable.  Especially if you have had this 'migraine' for a week."   It seemed extremely illogical to refuse any pain medication when it was so easily available.

"I'm not going to run to ol' Doc Fraiser every time I have a headache, Teal'c.  Besides, she's got enough things to handle right now.  She doesn't need me whining about a headache and cluttering up the infirmary."

Teal'c had to agree with that.  The week before, SG-6 had returned severely wounded.  While one member had been released on sick leave, the other five were still unconscious and in critical condition.  One of the young lieutenants would never walk again.  There was a 50/50 chance the commander wasn't going to make it.  Teal'c started to understand what this was about.

Jack was picking at his food.  It looked exactly like something you'd expect to find on an alien planet.  The pain was getting worse, bringing nausea with it.  He groaned and pressed the heel of his hand between his eyes.

Sam put down her dinner and reached for her pack.  She dug around for the first aid kit and pulled out a bottle of Tylenol.  Checking to make sure it was the one she wanted, she tossed it on the ground at Jack's feet.

Jack glared at it.  It didn't seem right, that this little bottle of pills could make his pain disappear.  "I don't want it."

Sam picked up her dinner again.  "Major, I'm fine."

"Yes, Sir."

"Oh for cryin' out loud.  It's _just_ a _headache_.  It's not like I'm dying."

"I know Sir," she said softly.  They stared at each other.  Daniel watched them and smiled slightly.  Teal'c hoped the major would make O'Neill listen to common sense.  He didn't know how, but he sensed that somehow to two Air Force officers were communicating without words.  It lasted for several minutes before Sam nodded slightly and continued eating.  Jack sighed and picked up the bottle.  

L             L             L

Sam and Daniel were already sitting on the ground when Jack appeared dragging Teal'c with him.  He nearly fell over Daniel's outstretched legs before his flashlight picked up their pale faces.  

"Geez Daniel, I almost landed on you.  Why didn't you two bring a light?"

"We did Jack, we just aren't using it.  You can't see the stars with a flashlight.  And you're blinding us at the moment…"

"Right, sorry.  So how's the view?"  Jack flopped down beside them and leaned against the side of the mountain.  The air was frosty and he stuck his hands in his armpits.

"View's great Sir.  I was just looking for Abydos.  It should be in that quadrant tonight.  And that one there is P7Y-838," Sam said pointing to a star directly above them.  Jack looked at it and nodded.  Sam always tried to find the planets they'd been to, although it sometimes took her several pages of calculations.

Daniel was standing up now, and turning in slow circles, straining to see into the darkness.  The lights from Colorado Springs were clearly visible, and he spent several minutes staring at it.  Teal'c moved over to join him.  "DanielJackson, what are you doing?"

"I'm looking, Teal'c.  Just looking."

"But there is nothing to see."

"No, that's not true.  You just have to use your imagination a little.  That town is full of houses.  Full of people.  They have no idea what's happening.  No idea how lucky they are to be living on a free planet."

"It's beautiful, isn't it," Sam spoke up from her place on the ground.  Her teeth were chattering slightly from the cold.  Jack turned to look in her direction.  "It sure is.  And we're the people they picked to defend it?  Some one screwed up."

Daniel and Sam laughed at that.  "I think we've been doing a pretty good job, Jack.  It sure is worth it."

"Sure is, Danny.  Got that right."

Daniel sat down again but Teal'c remained where he was.  "O'Neill.  I believe I will return to the base now.  I am in need of rest."

Jack nodded absently.  "Sure, Teal'c.  We'll catch up to you later."

Teal'c bid the others good night and started down the mountain.  He wasn't sure who had started it, but it had become something of an SG-1 tradition.  After a rough mission, when something went wrong, the team would one by one find their way up to the top of the mountain.  After a few coincidental meetings, they'd decided to make the climb as a group.  Teal'c had once asked Colonel O'Neill why they did it.  The colonel had paused and thought about it for a while.  When he'd finally answered, he was staring off in the direction of the Stargate.

"To remind ourselves why we're doing this.  So we know that everything that happens here is worth it.  Every person we lose, every line we cross.  It has to be for something.  For Earth, for all the earths out there.  It's so we remember."  And Teal'c had nodded his understanding, and joined them.

He'd reached the guard post now, and signed his name.  The guard glanced at him, then peered into the darkness.  "They still out there?"

"Yes.  They will return shortly."

The guard shook his head in disbelief.  "Those guys are crazy.  There's two feet of snow on that mountain, and they go wandering around in the dark.  What the heck are they doing?"

Teal'c smiled a little, but didn't answer.  This child would not understand.  But Teal'c did.  He turned to take a last look at the planet that had adopted him and that he fought to save.  He understood very well.

L             L             L


	3. part 3

**A/N:** After almost two years, I'm finally digging this out of my computer archives. I'm actually back in one country for an extended period of time. I refuse to leave anything unfinished. According to my notes, there are 11 more segments after this. We'll see how it goes.

* * *

"DanielJackson." 

Daniel jumped at the sound of the voice in his doorway. His head rushed up and met the shelf above him, his arm swung out and sent a pile of papers scattering in every direction, and a flailing leg struck the light on his desk. The room plunged into darkness when the light shattered on the concrete floor. Teal'c remained expressionless as he flipped the switch on the wall. The room filled with light to reveal Daniel standing on top of a table.

"Jeez Teal'c, are you trying to kill me?" Daniel asked, rummaging around in the shelf above him.

"I am not the one standing on a table. May I ask what you hope to accomplish?"

"I'm looking for my coffee mug."

Teal'c looked around the room. There were coffee mugs on every available surface. While that wasn't many considering the piles of books and artefacts, it was enough to make Daniel's search seem unnecessary. Teal'c picked up the mug closest to him. "Will this suffice?"

Daniel glanced at it briefly before dismissing it. He jumped off the table and went on his knees under the desk. "No, that's not it. Ah! Now how did it get under there?" Daniel held up a mug that looked identical to the one Teal'c was holding.

"I fail to see the significance in that particular mug. It is identical to this one. Do they not both serve the same purpose?"

"That's not the point, Teal'c. This is _my_ mug. It's my favourite. I can't finish this translation without it. It would have taken me months to make the Stargate work without this mug." Daniel's stomach chose that moment to protest loudly and he headed towards the coffee machine.

Teal'c resisted the urge to roll his eyes in an un-Jaffa-like way. "Should you not eat something?"

"I am eating. All I need is coffee. Coffee has saved this planet more times than I can remember. Coffee is all-powerful. Coffee is life. Coffee is the 6th food group."

"MajorCarter believes chocolate to be the 6th food group." Teal'c watched Daniel inhale his first cup and pour himself a second before returning to his desk. "It is. The same one as coffee."

"Which one is that?"

"The highly-addictive-but-still-legal group. Can't live without it."

* * *

"MajorCarter, are you alright?" Teal'c asked as Sam stormed past him to the elevator. "No," she answered shortly, sliding her card through the reader with unnecessary force. "Son of a bitch…over-ridding me…what the hell does he know about how the dialling program works. Sits in a damn office all day and he thinks he knows more about the program _I_ wrote," she muttered and stabbed the button for the surface. 

Teal'c took in her fatigue pants and regulation black tee-shirt. "MajorCarter, what are your intentions?"

"I'm going for a ride. I need to clear my head."

"I see. Do you not have appropriate attire for that activity?"

Sam nodded curtly, tapping her fingers impatiently against her thigh. "My leathers. Frankly, I don't really care at the moment. I just have to get out of this mountain and breathe air that hasn't been run through a dozen different pipes. God, how can a military elevator be so damn slow?"

The elevator chose that moment to make an appearance. Barely letting the doors open, Sam slid past them to slam into the corner and scowl at the wall. Teal'c pushed the appropriate floor button before assuming his standard elevator stance. He was acutely aware of the major fuming beside him. He was just about to comment again on her intentions when the elevator jerked to a stop, allowing Doctor Fraiser access.

Janet took in the situation with a quick glance before positioning herself next to Sam. It wasn't at all hard to tell that the major was less than happy.

"I take it you've met that new guy the Pentagon sent over," Janet commented. Sam shifted her glance from the wall long enough to nod an affirmative before muttering something unintelligible under her breath.

"Going for a ride then?"

Sam nodded again. "Dressed like that?" Janet pushed.

Muscles tensing in expectation of the inevitable lecture, Sam answered with a growled "yes, I am". Teal'c watched the exchange with interest, hoping the doctor would give him some insight on the major's uncharacteristically reckless behaviour. Instead she shrugged and turned to face the opening door.

"Just do me a favour Sam. Wear the helmet, and keep it at ten above the limit. Don't make me tell you what I'll do if you come back here in pieces."

Teal'c followed the doctor out the door. "Janet? Thanks," came Sam's voice, and she flashed her friend a quick smile before the doors slid closed. Teal'c looked at Janet in puzzlement.

"DoctorFraiser, what was MajorCarter thanking you for?"

"Besides not giving her a lecture about motorcycle safety?" Janet smiled slightly and shook her head. "For understanding, Teal'c. For letting her go. Because sometimes, all you can do is let everything go. Don't worry, she'll be fine. Just a little pent-up aggression to let go of."


End file.
